


Bend It Like Tifa

by DrWaffle



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alcohol, Attempt at Humor, Bad Writing, Blood and Violence, Cloti - Freeform, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Flashbacks, Football | Soccer, Injury, Injury Recovery, Nightmares, Oral Sex, Physical Therapy, Rating May Change, attempt at fluff, prior relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:20:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27104116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrWaffle/pseuds/DrWaffle
Summary: Tifa is a goalie. Cloud is a physical therapist. He threw away his future but now the future is the present. He had it all and threw it all awy for her. But will she forgive him or does time not fully heal wounds? On the next episode of Cloud is a dork. Eventual rating change.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 25
Kudos: 58





	1. Injuries are a Bitch

**Author's Note:**

> excuse the bad writing ‹•.•› but it's my first foray into writing this, no one will ever see the other piece I did but hope you enjoy physical therapist Cloud don't hurt me plz  
> Special thanks to [mayelisa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayelisa/pseuds/mayelisa) for helping this not turn into a complete shit show and raising this fic from being absolutely atrocious

“Fuck!”

Cloud’s eyes open as he punches the off button on the alarm, then closes his eyes… til he looks over to his right and sees 6:50 am on the clock. 

“OH SHI-” 

Scrambling to put on his work clothes over his t-shirt and boxers; he sticks his toothpaste in his mouth while sprinting out of the door. Five minutes later, he’s speeding 40 miles above the speed limit on his motorbike on the way to work.

Ordinarily, he goes through the same old routine of getting everything cleaned, set up, and seeing all the patients treatments for the day. But today, he pulls into the staff parking lot at breakneck speed and rushes past the manicured bushes into the medical building. He clocks in and gives out a sigh of relief before his pocket buzzes and he checks his phone. 

_Old Man: WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU THE MEETING STARTED 10 MINUTES AGO_

Cloud swore so much in the next few seconds that would make even his boss blush and sprinted over to the medical meeting room. As he calmed himself, he walked in through the door and took his seat; he glanced over and saw Coach Barret glaring daggers at him, Biggs and Aerith sparing him sympathetic glances, and Cid smoking his cigar. 

“Alright now that Strife has graced us with his presence, we can finally get started.” Cid stamps out the smoking tobacco and points to Aerith, the team medic.

“Any updates?”

“We’re a bit low on medical tape but other than that everything’s stocked.”

“Barret, anything you want to say?”

“Since we’re a quarter way through the season, I wanna know how my players are doin’.” He stands up and starts to make exaggerated hand gestures to accentuate his point.

“Biggs, I think you have Tidus and Angeal.” Cid checks the folder as Biggs nods.

“Tidus is coming off of a high ankle sprain three weeks ago but he’s rehabbing ahead of schedule so maybe if he can keep up this pace, he’ll come back in two weeks.“ Biggs glances at his notes in front of him. 

“Angeal just has some hamstring issues, so he might be ready tonight. It just depends on what happens after the session today and if Aerith can clear him.”

“What about you Strife? You got the other three don’t you?”

“So Genesis is actually not really rehabbing that well after his ACL tear. I don’t know if he’s doing the exercises we talked about or if he’s reading Loveless or what, but even so, he should be back by next season.“ Cloud pretends to read whatever notes he had down but recites from memory.

“Noctis is doing fine, his ankle should be ready for tonight but he won’t be 100% so maybe have him as a sub. Johnny has some core stuff but he shouldn’t be ready for tonight. He might make it next week but it’s super iffy.”

“Alright that should wrap it up, we’re behind schedule and today’s the team’s day so everyone can see you physical therapists.” Cid points to Biggs and Cloud before making a shooing motion and everyone files out to their rooms.

As Cid mentioned, today Cloud’s schedule is packed with soccer players trying to get ready for the game today. To start with, he goes through his appointments of Genesis, Noctis, and Johnny. Genesis was walking across the bar but he kept reciting Loveless lines. 

_“There is no hate, only joy,_

_For you are beloved by the goddess,_

_Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds”_

“For the love of everything holy, shut up and do the exercise.” Johnny signals him over to ask how to do the exercise and Cloud wants to sigh. But he holds it in and explains how to do a situp for the umpteenth time. Noctis thankfully knew how to follow the exercise and he didn’t have to do much for him. 

After their appointments are done, a few of the players come in and want some treatment for various ailments. He helps them figure out and relieve their problems and gives them a clean bill of health. 

“Thanks, Doc.” They say as they leave. Cloud finally takes a break and sits down, but his stomach growls. He sighs and reaches into his bag to get his lunch of a…

He forgot his lunch. Damn, he didn’t want to have to go through the cafeteria where he could possibly see his ex.

He’s silently praying that she won’t be there as he walks along the silent corridor laced with pictures of the team’s accomplishments. As soon as he turns the corner, she’s right there ordering her food, in all her glory, her dark tresses pulled into a long ponytail tied up with a red hair tie. Her shin guards still on and barely reaching up her long muscly legs and thick thighs, talking with her friends. As she slightly bends over the counter to look at the food choices, Cloud can’t help but glimpse at those shorts riding up...

_Get your mind out of the gutter Strife._ As he shakes his head, he finds her starting to look over to where he’s standing and he proceeds to hide behind the giant column blocking her view of him. She goes over to sit with her teammates and he just orders a sandwich from the a la carte menu so he doesn’t have to go near her. As he’s walking back to his office, he can’t help but see how far she’s come from when they were dating and can’t help but smile to himself.

_It worked…_

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloud didn’t have much to do after his lunch break; there were no new patients so he was able to finish the notes he had for his previous patients, leaving them in their chart. As he was leaving work, he looked over to the stadium and saw the parking lot jam-packed. He could smell the grills of the hotdogs and steaks that were being cooked for the tailgates before the game. 

He pulls up his phone and searches the team and sure enough, there is a game going on right now and it’s the 70- minute of the game. He sprints over to the game and flashes his team badge to get in the stadium and on to the sideline. He looks up to the scoreboard and it’s 0-0 Shinra FC over Wutai FC. He can hear the baritone voice of Coach Barret yelling at his star Zack Fair to be ready for the counter-attack down the right wing. 

“YOU’RE OFFSIDES!” Cloud yells and Zack looks over and gives a nod over to Cloud. 

“You made it for the first time in forever!” He yells back while shooting him a big grin.

Cloud points to the play and as Vincent clears the ball downfield, Zack races to the middle and takes it from the defender. He hits the midfielder with a dummy, spins around the defender, and puts the ball through the legs of the keeper to score the first goal of the game. The crowd erupts in cheers and the sideline goes completely nuts. Zack takes off his shirt and sprints out to the corner to celebrate. Cloud looks over to the scoreboard, and it’s the 87’ minute plus stoppage time. The referee gives out the customary yellow card to Zack and then pulls out a red while pointing to the bench. Cloud and the stadium let out a collective groan as they realized that Zack already had a yellow card. This second yellow turns into a red card meaning that his team is playing a man down for the rest of this game and he won’t be able to play in the next game.

The Wutaians come out attacking and execute an onslaught of unusual plays to try and score on the star keeper. As time winds down into the one minute of stoppage time, Gorkii, the Wutaian right wing lets out a shot from the top of the box and it misses over the bar but… 

  
  
  


The whistle blows and the referee is pointing to the penalty spot as everyone is yelling and the crowd erupts in noise and complaints. The referee makes a box with his fingers and runs to the video conference area to review the call. As the VAR decision is being made, the crowd turns to look at the big screen to see what happened in slow motion. Everyone watches in horror as they see a certain red-haired midfielder slide in to try and deflect the ball. Instead, what had happened was he missed the ball and hit Gorkii after he had made his shot. Reno looks down in shame and starts to pray that somehow the ball does not end up in the back of the net. 

The crowd goes eerily silent as everyone lines up in their positions. Zack is gnawing his nails while Barret is squeezing his clipboard to the point where there are stress fractures on the sides. Aerith is sitting on the medic cart, watching with bated breath. Cloud is standing next to Zack, a hand gripping his shoulder. The rest of the team is standing, huddled together to watch. Stavniv, Wutai’s premier striker hailing from the town called the Icicle Inn, starts his slow run-up. As his foot connects with the ball, time slows down to a crawl. The ball curls to the top left corner and appears to give the keeper no chance to stop it. But stop it she did; she fully extends, reaches and gets a couple of fingertips on the ball to barely get it out. Vincent races to the ball and clears it down the field as the whistle blows sounding the end of the game. Everyone races out to the keeper, trying to raise her up to celebrate the win as well as the three points to place them on top of the table. But they stop as they see her on the ground writhing in pain, knee completely swollen.

For some reason, everything seems to speed up like someone casted Haste. Cloud is in disbelief as Aerith and he loads her onto the cart while her eyes are closed and gritting her teeth. He watches as Aerith drives off the field on the way to load her into an ambulance. 

The haze doesn’t wear off as the motorbike roars to life, his mind still distracted on the highway over what he just saw. By the time Cloud parks in the garage and drops his keys in the basket by the door, the image of her on the ground is still going through his mind. He lays down on the couch, turning on MPSN to see any news of what’s happened. All he sees is Beeven B. Biff ranting on about how bad the Cowboys are; while complaining about how they can get into the NFL playoffs while losing almost all of their games. Cloud sighs, turning off the TV and foregos dinner to go to his bedroom. He gets ready for bed but a chocobo noise from his phone distracts him from his train of thought. He gets on Kwehter and reads the latest Kweh from Chocobo Sam Schefter.

_“Shinra’s goalkeeper Tifa Lockhart is now out of surgery for a compound fracture and dislocation of her right knee, and the surgery that went “very well”, per a source. Shinra’s Head Team Orthopedist Aerith Gainsborough brought in noted foot and ankle doctor, Andrea, to do the repair tonight.”_

_-Chocobo Sam Schefter_

_(10 seconds ago)_

Cloud lets out a pent up breath he didn’t know he had then opened up his camera roll. He scrolls through the pictures and memories.

_Was it a mistake?_

He opens up his messages. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


_C: Hope you’re doi…_

_Cloud backspaces out everything then gets a notification from Zack._

_Z: Hey_

_C: How you doin_

_Z: just got out of the ice bath, I’m gonna go out with Aerith to the bar later you want in?_

_C: Naw I’m tired today you go have fun_

_Z: You hear what happened to tifa_

_C: Yea super sad_

_Z: Hopefully she can make it back. isnt she your ex?_

_C: yea we aint on good terms tho if youd remember lmao_

_Z: I remember but now you’ll get to see her ;)_

_C: piss off. go suck a dick_

_Z: ill suck something alright hehe_

_C: make sure you remember where it is don’t go lickin thighs again_

_Z: BRUH SHE TOLD YOU BOUT THAT? YO ITS FOREPLAY GDI_

_C: whatever you say night tho_

_Z: alright night man_

“Will she still hate me? If I call in sick tomorrow… Do I still have vacation days?“ As he closes his phone and lies in bed, Cloud drifts off to a fitful night’s sleep with nothing but worry plaguing his dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_The rain was pouring down as the masses were eerily quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the wet sloshes of the opponent’s striker boots making his way to the muddied penalty spot. The scoreboard read the double zeroes that signified a penalty shootout. The score was currently blinking 1-0 while the lights were beaming down upon the field, highlighting every single raindrop, blade of grass, and pellet of turf. Cloud couldn’t help but clasp his hands together in prayer, silently pleading that the ball was somehow saved. He put his hands to the ground, sullying his hands with the gift of the goddess, Gaia. He locked eyes with the keeper then slowly looked at the corner. Her eyes widened in disbelief, but it was too late. The runup started but his eyes were almost blinded by the lights, the lights of his future dissipating with the movement of the ball. His eyes were completely closed as he heard the crowds explode with noise. He picked up his backpack full of the soccer belongings from the bench that would never be used again and ran onto the waiting bus. His teammates clasped his shoulders as they passed him by, going through the aisle but for some reason, all of them were smirking. He could still hear the cheers from the parents and fans as the announcer was reading out the final score. He could see the two gleaming, wet trophies being rolled out from their home of the storage room. Even this far away, even while the bus was pulling away, he knew what the smaller but arguably most important trophy read._

_Man of the Match_

_Tifa Lockhart_

_His phone lit up with a notification on the dank, steamy, stinky bus. Cloud grimaced at the words he read but couldn’t help but slide over and just stare at it for all of eternity._

_T <3: Why’d you do it? _

_He closed the text message with a doubting yet determined look. He scrolled through the photo roll, glancing at all the memories he had collected over the years. Feeling his resolve wavering, he decided to close the roll and opened up his contacts. His finger hovered over the contact but he finally pressed down._

**_“Do you want to delete this contact? This will remove any trace of them from this phone.”_ **

**_Cancel Accept_ **

_His head hung low as he realized what he had done but he knew it had to be. The bus ride was a solemn one for him as he gathered the weight of his actions. As he hopped off the bus, his mom was waiting for him right outside the doors. He froze when he saw her but she held up a bag of food and they set off back to their house. As they entered their small home, and she turned on the kitchen lights, he instantly sat in a chair and started to bawl. His mom instantly knew what had happened and let her son be comforted as he cried into her shoulders and then into her lap._

_“You did it, didn’t you? I wanted you to settle down with someone nice but…”_

The alarm clock rang. 

“Fuck, how am I gonna do this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The soccer moves 
> 
> [Maradona/spin move](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAUEfLJv504)
> 
> [Dummy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkZySlI65qs)


	2. Hospitals are spooky but so are grandmas?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tifa is a goalie. Cloud is a physical therapist. He threw away his future but now the future is the present. Life threw him a softball but will he hit a homerun or will he let himself strikeout. On the next episode of Cloud is a dork. Eventual rating change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to [SKEvans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SKEvans/pseuds/SKEvans) for making me look like I can actually use the English language as well as help my writing ability a little bit. And of course special thanks to [Mayelisa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayelisa/pseuds/mayelisa) for making sure I don't go off on tangents and not letting this fic be dragged down by my subpar writing xD  
> They're both great people and I'm so lucky to have both of them even near me so hope you guys enjoy :catvibe:

Not wanting a repeat of being late, Cloud arrives 30 minutes early as the sun is just starting to rise. His mind races with anxious thoughts about what will happen today. As he was getting ready this morning, he flung on cologne from Zack for the first time since prom. Putting on his cleanest and best-looking polo shirt and slacks, he makes a mental note to get to the nearest Wall Market clothing store as soon as possible.

A voice comes from behind him as he shuffles into the building, satchel over his shoulder. A grey-haired elderly woman’s head poked out from behind the bushes. “Hey thanks for the exercise tips, I can feel my limbs finally starting to work again.” 

“Marle, did you want something? I’m kind of busy here.” Cloud sighs as Marle stood up and gave Cloud a once over. She does this every chance she gets, which was way too often in Cloud’s opinion.

“Yeah, when are you able to get me in again?” 

On slow weeks, both Biggs and Cloud are allowed to take in local patients for physical therapy. Marle just happened to be the lucky recipient of having Cloud help her joints become more limber. 

Letting out an exasperated sigh and shaking his head “I don’t know. I’m still busy with the players. You know this already.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Cupping her hands and leaning in. “Have you found a girlfriend yet? Maybe a little red-eyed spice in your life?” 

She has the ghost of a smirk as she takes out hedge trimmers and for some reason, she looks extremely menacing with them. Cloud’s aquamarine eyes widen as he wipes his clammy hands on his pants. He’s glad he managed to slather on the deodorant because this interrogation was making him sweat at 6 am in the mild tranquil summer morning.

“There’s this really nice girl who lives near me. She’s helped tend to my garden and I think you’d like her. We were talking yesterday about a nice blonde-haired, good-looking doc and she seemed interested.” She clips another branch of rotten leaves off the hedge. “So, if you can stop being a pussy maybe you can settle down with a girl because I know you can’t do it on your own.” 

“WHAT? What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve got skills. I can get a girl on my own thank you very much.”

“Shut up you dimwit, I’ve seen you talk to girls before.”

“Wait what? When did you se-”

“Shush. But for having a doctorate you sure are stupid in a lot of ways. She’s gorgeous; I think you’d be good together.” She puts her right hand to her chin in thought. “I think it might be a while though. She hurt her knee.” 

And with that Cloud Strife almost died choking on his own saliva.

He takes a step back and his jaw drops to the concrete sidewalk. Shock runs through his whole body as his anxiety heightens. His heart pounds so hard, he’s surprised Marle can’t hear it. Or that he’s not having a heart attack right about now. This little bit of information shouldn’t be doing this to him but hearing that those two talked about him is sending him into overdrive. 

“What do you know about her or something?” she says, interrupting his train of thought. He takes a deep breath.

“No, I don’t think so,” he says a little too fast. 

Marle gives him an accusatory look, trying to pry the information out of his spiky-haired head. He bids her farewell and bolts through the double doors, making a bee-line for his office. He closed the door and sat down at his desk as he let out a pent-up breath, staring at the screensaver on the monitor. 

“Fuck, it’s too early for this.” He sighs, reaching down into his cabinet, behind the stack of folders to pick out a hidden bottle of whiskey. Pouring himself a generous amount, he indulges himself in the liquid courage needed to get through the day. He’s going to go mad, get drunk, drop dead, or a combination of all three by the time his shift is over. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His morning session with Johnny and Genesis isn’t terrible, and Noctis is deemed fully recovered by Aerith. Mercifully, they picked up on his mood and decided not to be completely annoying. He manages to get through the grueling 3-hour session without too many complaints or _Loveless_ lines. He praises the pair of them for doing so much during the session, as well as tells them updates on their schedules. He waves goodbye as they leave and he meets up with Biggs after his own session to have their weekly lunch together. 

“Hey, are we twinning?” Biggs asking looking up and down.

Sure enough, Cloud looks down and realizes that they’re wearing the exact same polo shirt and slacks. The only difference in clothing would be the red bandana wrapped around Biggs’s forehead. 

“Damn, I guess we are.” Cloud mentally makes a note to stop by the store when he’s coming back from work. “Please don’t ever say twinning again.” As Cloud purses his lips.  
  


“Hey, you should be glad you have the same fashion sense as me. We look fabulous right now I’m surprised all the ladies aren’t swooning.”

They both grab trays and hop into the cafeteria line that is sure to get packed in a few minutes.

“So your guys do well?” 

“Yeah, Genesis didn’t wanna make me tear my hair out with _Loveless_ quotes and Johnny didn’t ask what a push up or situp was for once in his life, so we got a lot of stuff done today. How was yours?”

“Tidus and Angeal did great today, actually. We managed to get a whole bunch of stuff done. I might not have any patients by next week,” he replied while turning to the lunch lady. “Korean Barbecue please and hold the greens.” He turns back to Cloud. “Do you mind if I take Genesis off of you? I know you’re better at dealing with all the knee tears and those types of injuries, but Cid wants me to get better at these types of things.” 

Cloud glances over with raised eyebrows but nods in assent. “Sure, he has everything set up for him so you can just let him do his thing and watch. Now can you hurry up and get your food so we can get back?”

Biggs opened the door to the small conference room across the hallway from both of their offices. Biggs sat down across the table from each other, while Cloud turned the TV on to some random channel. Halfway through their lunch break, Biggs had a look over at Cloud’s untouched lunch.

“Hey if you’re not gonna have it, I can eat it.” Biggs says with a smirk. 

“Sure, I’m not hungry right now.” Cloud pushes over the plate of food while grabbing the remote to flip through the various channels the TV has to offer.

“What? Mr. Chocobo not wanting food? Someone get the camera!”

“Man, for the last time don’t call me a damn chocobo. My hair doesn’t look like a yellow bird.”

“Yeah right. You good though? This isn’t like you to not eat.” The door opens with a crash, making Biggs jump out of his seat and Cloud accidentally swiping his cup off of the table. 

“Damn! You guys didn’t wait for me?” the raven-haired winger exclaimed, pulling a chair up next to Cloud and setting his lunch tray on the table. 

“It’s not our fault you stayed longer for practice. You have about 20 minutes before lunch is over.” Biggs replies.

Zack isn’t listening, his spoon was halfway to his mouth while grabbing his protein shake to drink in between bites. Cloud slouches in his seat, twisting the wolf ring he sometimes wears when he feels like he needs a little extra good luck. Zack looks over and starts to sniff the air around him, sensing something was up. 

“Hey, is that the cologne I gave you? Oh hell, do you have a date today?” 

Zack’s question makes Biggs sit up and look over expectantly. Cloud crosses his arms while his pupils are dilating from the question. 

Gritting his teeth, “I swear to Christ, the next time you ask that, I’m gonna make it so that you have to see Biggs with broken bones. No, I don’t have a date today. Why can’t I just use the gift you gave me without you asking.” Cloud gritting his teeth through pursed lips. 

Biggs raises his eyebrows and lets out a gasp. “It’s Tifa, isn’t it? You’re goin’ all out for Tifa aren’t you?!” Biggs deduced, stroking his imaginary goatee while making Cloud’s heart drop to his stomach. 

“Oh it is, isn't it?” Zack slaps his thigh and throws his head back in laughter. “Oh that’s rich! Do you need pointers or something? You want to know what she likes? You haven’t been on a date in like 10 years, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” 

“The flower shop is nearby if you want roses.” Biggs teased. “Maybe get some chocolates while you’re at it?” 

“Ha ha ha guys, real funny jokes you got. Real comedians you two are.” Cloud says as they shake with laughter, threatening to start an earthquake. “No, I don’t need help, assholes. Stop fuckin laughing so much!”

They don’t stop as he slumps down in his seat..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cloud sits in his office, typing down notes for today’s session and what to work on next. He’s not sure of himself anymore; maybe the guys were right and he should get flowers and chocolates. It’s the least he can do for messing things up so much. His computer glows with the uncompleted notes and comments, but he can’t focus. He grabs the bottle of whiskey and pours out another copious amount of alcohol to try and calm his nerves. 

The amber liquid flares down his throat. He leans back on the chair and stares at the blank ceiling, almost drifting off to sleep until a large blare from his phone startles him and jolts him up.

_3 PM - Go to hospital_

It’s only 2:30, but he wanted to go early to meet with the doctor and get a full report of what the injury entailed. With a groan, Cloud gets up and shuts off the computer, then shoves the rest of the bottle of whiskey inside the satchel. Making sure he has the packet of general information that he gives to all his patients, he says goodbye to Biggs in the next room and makes his way to the exit. He pokes his head out to check if the grandma was still there. Not seeing any bushy haired ladies, he makes his way to where he parked and secures everything to his bike. As the bike revs up and he peels out of the parking lot, his heart races like the revolving wheels of his motorcycle.

Biggs’s words ring in his ears, and he uses the extra time to make a pitstop. He goes to the small, dainty gift and flower shop near the hospital. As he browses the shelves and racks his brain to remember what Tifa liked, a strange dog-like creature appears at the end of the small aisle. 

“What the hell’s that?” Cloud mumbled under his breath. 

The dog’s ears perk up, and it looks up at him funny. “I can hear you, you know. I do have ears,” the dog replies as Cloud stumbles backwards, eyes wide. 

“I must be trippin’. That alcohol must’ve been strong or something. What the fuck?”

“You’re not tripping, chocobo haired man,” the dog says as Cloud squints in indignation. “I am a talking four-legged creature. My name’s Red XIII. May I help you find something?” 

“Actually, I think I’m finished. Do you know where the checkout is?” 

The dog gestures for Cloud to follow, then hops on the stool while Cloud puts the items on the register and hands over the money. By some miracle, Red manages to scan the items and open the register. The lab rat dog hands over the change and bids Cloud goodbye. Leaving the shop, he was perplexed by how the cat, dog, wolf animal was the manager of the shop. But, even that wasn’t enough to get past the anxious, uneasy feeling in his stomach when he climbed on to his motorbike. He didn’t know where the little bit of lunch he had was going to end up by the time he got to the hospital.

As he pulled into the parkade, Cloud can’t help but look up at the massive medical institution that is Midgar Hospital, admiring the sleekness, state of the art, high-rising building in all its majestic glory. He checks in with the receptionist and makes his way to the 7th floor where Tifa was being housed. Watching everything through the glass of the elevator, his heart threatens to rise out of his chest as the elevator climbs up.

_I’m almost there. Fuck, how’s she gonna react._

As he walks down the hall, the walls seem to extend to what feels like forever, and the flowery wallpaper suffocates him. The nurses in white push patients around in wheelchairs to wherever they need to be. The insufferable clicking coming from the keyboards and mice is deafening to his ears. 

The longer he stands there, the more it turns into white noise, enveloping his brain. Seconds turn into minutes; he doesn’t know how long he’s frozen there until there’s a light tap on his shoulder. He finds a pair of brown eyes with short golden hair dressed up in a nurse’s gown looking up at him.

“You lost mister?” 

“Umm, a little bit. Do you know where room 769 is?” He glances at her gold plated name tag. “Elena?”

She beams as she answers. “Take this hallway all the way down, make a left, then down that hallway and it should be the fifth door on the left.”

He nods in thanks and she practically skips down to the nurse’s station, squealing about how she’s going to love this new job. He follows her directions, finding the room easily. Inwardly sighing, he knocks on the piece of wood and fabric covered glass separating him from his past.

“Come in!” The muffled female voice comes through the door. 

He twists the handle and shuffles through the doorway. A sharp breath comes from the bed and it makes Cloud feel self-conscious about what he’s wearing. He peeks around the room, observing the various gifts and flowers laying around her table and the room. Suddenly, the gifts inside his satchel and the bouquet in his hands seem too heavy and useless. 

But the bigger blow is seeing her in a hospital gown. Her right leg enveloped in a cast the size of her torso, a look of shock plastered on her face -- one that Cloud wishes he could take a photo to immortalize -- her ruby eyes widened and her mouth agape in astonishment. 

“Cloud, is that you?” 

“I bought these flowers but they seem kind of useless now that you have so many.” 

“Cloud, come over here.” her tone leaving no room for discussion. 

He hesitates before making his way over to the bed before kneeling by her bedside with her smile calming him down. Then suddenly, the door had stars. An audible smack that he swore Elena heard from the other side of the floor. 

He felt his cheek turning red but turned back to face her as the sound of sniffles and the sight of tears into openly sobbing brought him to his knees in repentance. Caressing her cheek and wiping away the tears, her eyes open. He can’t help but look into those gorgeous ruby eyes and beat himself up over the fact that he’s the one making her cry. 

Tifa dries off her eyes with the sleeves of the gown and she gazes into the pain-filled cerulean eyes that look like they’re on the verge of tears as well. Her heart swells; to the point where she feels it coming out of her chest. Wave after wave of anxiety and thoughts fill her mind. She wishes she could leave but she’s stuck on the hospital bed, unable to move with her injured knee. 

But she had to know. To dispel the devious notions from her mind.

“Why? Why’d you do it?” 

The question catches Cloud by surprise at how direct it was. How much she’s changed from those days. “Do what? I’m just here to help,” he replied.

“Don’t play dumb with me you stupid idiot.” As she’s getting redder by the minute, he can’t help but notice how cute she is when she’s mad. But those days were long gone where he could think that. 

“The tournament... You had a full scholarship, a championship, a future on the line and you threw it all away. You would’ve been great…” The tears well up again and Cloud puts his hand on her cheek wiping away the tears. She grabs his hand and grips it tightly. 

“Why did you leave me like that? Was I not good enough for you? Were you angry? What happened? Did I screw up? What did you do?” Her hand clenches to a fist, hammering away at his heart. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why won’t you say anything?” She starts to sob quietly, her fist starting to slow down. The years of questions and anxiety rearing its ugly head. 

He tries to calm her down with soothing sounds but she pulls her hand away and turns her head to the window. 

“It wasn’t because of you.” 

Her head snaps back to his face. Puffy, red eyes that still managed to pierce through his soul so many years later. “Then what?”

“It was because of me. It was my fault. I wanted a better life for you.”

Her voice gets quieter as she clenches the sheets. “And why is that? I don’t need you to ruin your life just for me. You moved out of your house and dropped off the face of the Earth. I... Everyone was worried about you.”

Rubbing the back of his head, “There were a lot of reasons for that. I, uh, joined the military for a year. I was a combat medic and got deployed over to Wutai. I also was able to get started on college over there and they somehow managed to transfer to colleges over here. I got my doctoral degree for physical therapy and now I’m working for the soccer team for the last year or so.” 

Shock crosses her face as the last sentence comes out. “Wait, you’ve been working for the team this whole time? How have I not seen you around?”

“You don’t really come in for anything. Also I may or may not hide anytime I see you.” saying that last part under his breath.

“So, what are you doing here anyway?” 

“I’m actually here to talk to you about rehabbing things and what to expect.” 

“You… you expect me to work with you after what’s happened?”

“ Right now, I am the only way you’re going to get back on the pitch hopefully before the finals.”

She groans but accepts it, “I’m going to have to deal with this, aren’t I? Fine, but I don’t wanna deal with this right now. I’m going to take a nap.” Making her point, she closes her eyes and shoos him off.

“Alright, I’m gonna leave this on the table. Try and read this before you come in, I’ll ask the doctor when you’ll be ready.” She’s already snoring quietly so he leaves the packet and the gifts on the small bedside table. He pulls up the blanket to her shoulders and attempts to make the room as dark as possible for her to sleep. 

Quietly leaving the room, he bumps into Elena. Inwardly sighing, he resigns himself to having to talk to her again.

“Oh, hey you found the room!” 

“Yeah, is Professor Gast in the building?”

“I’m actually heading there right now, follow me!” She skips off down the hallway and he jogs to catch back up. Elena starts chattering but it goes in one ear and out the other. He responds with a grunt or nod at the right moments so she doesn’t get mad but as they arrive she gestures to the door and announces this is the room. 

_I just wanted to know if he was in today, I didn’t need a guide._ As he rolls his eyes but thanking her as she skips away.

  
  


Knocking on the doorframe, he strides into the room and sits in one of the comfortable looking velvet chairs that he knows the good doctor has. The doctor sets up two scotch glasses, filling both up with ice cubes.

“What do you want this time, Strife?”

“A scotch malt, I know you have the good stuff too. Don’t skimp out on me either. Rumor has it that you have that $15,000 bottle stashed somewhere.” 

Chuckling to himself while bringing a small briefcase out of the minifridge from his desk. “Fine, just because I like you so much, you can have a little bit.” 

As Doctor Gast opens the briefcase, Cloud couldn’t help but be in awe over it. The sleek bottle design of smoothed glass widening out at the top; capped intricate green grapevines and tree shaped glass inside a glass arch. Dark amber liquid that looked heavenly in the light made Cloud’s mouth water. 

“This, my boy, is a Hardy Le Printemps Lalique Cognac Grande. It has batches that were made right after the end of the second continental war after we had won. It supposedly has chocolate and coffee tones, sort of like mocha. I got it as a gift from the CEO as a way to stay employed here and it definitely worked.” 

Pouring out a decent amount into both tumblers, he slides one over the glass table. Cloud takes a whiff of the rich alcohol and almost faints from the glorious aroma. Taking a small sip, the taste of the alcohol mixed with the grape and mocha has him wanting to sob in a corner over how good it is.

“Good isn’t it?” Setting down the glass and bringing out the file from the side of his desk. “Alright, here’s the file here. Should include MRIs, X-Rays and medical history in there. All the notes should be in there. The graft is kind of in a weird place with the tibia, but it should hold. It was stable when we were doing tests post-surgery so barring any complications it should be fine.”

Cloud inserts the folder into his satchel and reclines back into the seat. “Good, I’ll try not to push her too hard then if that’s the case.”

“So when are you going to ask her out?”

Cloud nearly spits a few hundred dollars of drink out upon hearing those words come out of his former friend’s mouth. “What did you just say?”

“When are you going to ask her out? I mean like seriously you need to get a move on with your life. How long do you plan on being single?”

“However long I want to be. It seems like everyone’s asking that today.” 

“Well, they’re all right. You need to find something or someone to do otherwise you’re going to pass up a lot of things in life. I used to be a smooth talker back in my day. 

Cloud scoffs at the idea of the doctor in his white lab coat at the bar attempting to flirt with some poor girl.

“Don’t laugh! How do you think I got my wife?” 

“I’m not interested in one right now. Just want to get through life as it is with no twists or turns.” 

“Well that ain’t much of a life now is it? You need to get out in the world, not be cooped up working 24/7 doing who knows what. Life is a lot more enjoyable with someone than by yourself.” 

“I’m not a lonely person. I do have friends you know. Besides, I’ll probably end up fucking up any relationship I get into.” 

_I’ve already fucked up one._ Cloud thinks to himself. The pain of losing that bond that he had, striking arrows deep into his heart.

“Cloud, one day you’ll understand and you’ll get me a gift when you do.”

“Fat chance, old man.” Finishing his drink and gathering his satchel, “I got to go now. I’m meeting up with Zack later, I told you I have friends.”

Cloud waves goodbye but before he leaves the hospital, he sneaks by Tifa’s room and checks up on her. Looking to be asleep, he sighs and makes his way down to the parking lot. Opening his satchel to check if he forgot anything, Cloud finds a half empty whiskey bottle. Shrugging to himself, he chucks it in the trash while comparing it to the sweet nectar he had just a little bit ago. 

Hopping on the motorbike, he makes his way to the sweet, sweet asphalt and the sound of the motor revving up. Driving along the empty streets, the sun setting in the sky as fresh colors brushed upon an artist's canvas, as if those rays were destined to create a great work of fate to play upon his heart. The sun’s rays like those of her smile. The beauty of the sky still wouldn’t be comparable to the beauty of her. The colors of the atmosphere are those of her gorgeous eyes, reflecting her personality, the fiery reds, the joyful yellows, the tasty fruity oranges. The warmth of the sun driving away the autumn’s coolness, just like how the warmth of Tifa drove away Cloud’s cool exterior and left him wondering how everything turned out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leaving his bike in the garage, he went over next door to the house that looked like a cut out from an _Architects Today_ magazine. It was beautiful, but not in the olde-worlde, quaint kind of way Nibleheim was. The roof was flat, the fiberglass door made to be as lavish as possible with designs of wolfs and chocobos engraved into it. The windows took up entire walls with only polished steel beams to break them into yet more panes. The look would have been entirely metallic, like a mini downtown skyscraper had it not been for the cedar beams of the external porch and the matching raised plant beds that contained enough colors that an artist would be jealous of. But it all fit Zack quite perfectly and he was happy to be able to call that home.

Letting himself in, he found Zack and Aerith snuggled on the leather couch of the spacious living room with the Mogflix logo on to the latest TV series they all were watching together. 

“Hope I’m not interrupting you guys.” Cloud smirking as he sat down on the comfy recliner. 

“Took your sweet ass time getting here. You have dinner yet?” Zack replies as he pulls one of the many wool blankets over him and Aerith. 

“Naw, I’m not hungry. Just start the show.” As Cloud shuffles around in the seat, his eyelids slowly begin to droop and he drifts off into sleep’s relaxing embrace. 

_In the daytime, the train station was a seething mass of humanity. People from all walks of life passed by, only focused on their destination. The steam from the trains made the area a humid mess. The bells and whistles from the trains, the crashes of the luggage trollies, the noise of conversation from people passing by were just going through Cloud's ears, not paying any attention to it. Instead he was si_ _tting on the benches at the train station with only the canvas duffle bag by his side, his heart accelerating as full comprehension of what he’s about to do dawns on him. Grabbing into the duffle, he pulled out his mom’s tear-strained letter praying for his safety. Having it clenched tightly in between his hands, he started to read.  
_

_"Hey, honey. Good luck on making it to the army. I know you'll do amazing, just remember to stay safe. I have a big bowl of Pho waiting for you to eat when you come back. Don't do anything stupid, listen to your superiors, and make sure to write back often." The rest was illegible words from the watermarks that was splattered throughout the paper. The only other words that he could make out was "Love, Mom" and "Should I tell Tifa?" Still deep in his thoughts, he contemplated what he was going to write back when he reached camp._

_Then the nearest train’s whistle cuts through the air, signaling for his deployment to the military. He folds the letter in half and stuffs it in his pocket. Grabbing his duffle, he makes his way to one of the empty doors to get on. Passing by different men of all shapes and sizes saying goodbye to their sweethearts, a pang of jealousy and sorrow goes through his body. Until a familiar voice from behind him calls out his name._

_A girl in a blue dress is running to catch up to him. His eyes widen at the amazement in his sight. He thought he had lost her forever, but here she is. Here was his goddess, his everything, his life. He runs to her, trying to close the distance. Then the silver gleams, a blade going through her abdomen. The white, haired man standing behind her, giving him that devil’s smile. Pulling the metal out, she slumps to the floor soundlessly. A surprised expression on her face, the blood rushing out of the wound and out of his face. He screams in rage, trying to run faster, to get by her side, to get revenge._

_“TIFAAAAA”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops I might have done something plz don't hurt me I blame my team for sucking so much


	3. Musical Cliffs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tifa is a goalie. Cloud is a physical therapist. He threw away his future but now the future is the present. Life threw him a softball but will he hit a homerun or will he let himself strikeout. On the next episode of Cloud is a dork. Eventual rating change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp Merry Christmas to all of you, hope you enjoy bad writing as a present. Still drunk from birthday booze plz help me.  
> Special thanks to [mayelisa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayelisa/pseuds/mayelisa) and [MayonakaNoAme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayonakaNoAme/pseuds/MayonakaNoAme)

Startled awake, sweat dripping down his face, his normally, spiky hair disheveled, Cloud took a deep breath and took in his surroundings. Zack and Aerith seemed to be more occupied with each other’s faces than the ensuing action scene on the screen. His heart rate slowing and his mind finally grasping where he was, he grabbed a pillow and chucked it over to the lovebirds. Lips finally disentangling, they looked over at him. Their faces immediately scrunch up in worry lines and raised eyebrows.

“You okay there, Cloud?” Zack says, sitting up with Aerith leaning against his chest. 

“It looks like you’ve seen a whisper, Cloud. Do you need an ice pack or something?”

Cloud rolls his eyes as he slides his unusually sweaty palm from his forehead to the little bit of stubble on his chin. “I’m fine, guys. You’re not a school nurse Aerith. Ice won’t solve every problem in life.” Leaning back in the recliner, he turns his eyes to the screen to try and catch up on what he’s missed.

Aerith throws an ice cube from her drink on the table, connecting with his cheek. He looks over to see her stick her tongue out at Cloud and wiggles it vertically to make that raspberry sound he loves to hear. 

“Sweetie, I don’t think you need to tease Cloud that much.”

“He started it! I’m just retaliating,” she says, giving Zack those doe eyes that he can’t seem to overpower. 

“Speaking of girl problems, how’d it go with Tifa today? Did she bite your head off?” 

At the sound of Tifa, Aerith’s head perks up and she shifts her body upward off of Zack, making him grimace in pain. “Tifa? You saw her today? Did you manage to get a date?”

“Honey, do you mind getting off of my dick? You’re kind of crushing it right now.” 

Giving Zack some respite, she moves over to the other end of the couch. “So Cloud, how’d it go? Don’t leave out any juicy details!” 

Wrapped in the blanket, Aerith looked much like that tired Kermit meme, emerald eyes glistening with fascination at his love life. Zack, in his cactuar pajamas, gave him the thumbs up. His eyes crinkling up with smile lines, but with a faraway look, like he’s planning what he’s going to wear at the wedding. Both of them watch him like a romantic soap opera that housewives obsess over. 

Darting his eyes between his two attentive friends, he lets out a sigh. “It went as well as your typical checkup. You have your routine explanation, you give them the run down, when the meeting is, the typical slap. Oh yeah, and I gave her flowers.”

“Oh you actually listened to us for once! Did it work?” Aerith facepalms herself, giving Zack a look of complete contempt. “What? What did I say?”

“You idiot. Thank god I’m dating you for your looks and not your smarts. He said he got slapped, you dolt,” Turning to Cloud, “What did you even say? I had hope that there was no way that you could mess this up. She’s the nicest person ever and you managed to make her angry. I don’t know if I should be impressed that you even got that out of her or mad that you made her angry.” Her face red as a fiery hot pepper, she reaches into the blanket, pulls out the phone, and furiously starts tapping different keys on the screen.

Cloud glances up, confusion etched on his face. “Who are you even talking to? You better not be telling anyone this.” He stretches his back and shifts his weight to start to get out of the chair.

“I’m texting Tifa.”

Cloud falls back onto the leather, shock written on his face. Those three words making his heart and mind race. He doesn’t know how this kind of thing induces this reaction from him. It makes him feel like a teenager again. But it was better when he was a teen because he still had Tifa. Aerith looks up, worry etching the features of her face. 

“Do you want a chance to explain?”

“Me and her used to date.” 

Those 6 words make Zack and Aerith's jaws drop, amazement that he surprisingly had a girlfriend, confusion at how he lost her, and how he even managed to get her in the first place.

“WHAT?!?!” 

“How’d you even meet?”

“When did you even meet?”

“What the hell happened?”

“Why haven’t you reached out before?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?

“Did it last long?”

“Did you ever have sex?

“Zack!”

“Cause you know that might make us stop calling you a blushing virgin if we knew it wasn’t true. You can’t call me that though cause you already know.” As he was finishing his sentence, he wraps his arm around Aerith, pulling her closer to him. 

“ZACK!”

Zack’s sitting there with his signature smirk as Aerith is trying to push his hand off her shoulder. Cloud rolls his eyes watching the two, but his thoughts revisit the scene of him and Tifa doing the same thing. Her touch, her feel, her smell, her love cascading down upon him. Him reciprocating even further; his touch on her silky smooth skin. Him peeling off the cute red pajamas to reveal even greater treasures underneath. 

_ Cloud, please more! _

_ Please, Cloud... _

_ CLOUD! _

“CLOUD! Earth to Cloud. Are you high or something? Come on, give us some answers already.”

“Alright fine, we dated back in high school. Childhood friends turned into boyfriend and girlfriend. We did everything together from homework to sports. I spent almost every waking hour with her, just wondering howI was so lucky.” Running his fingers through his hair, the memories come flooding back.

“But senior year, we ended up on two different club soccer teams. She was one of the best players in the region but didn’t have any scholarship offers because she was a girl. I had a few offers on the table, but I was more focused on the region’s finals to see if we would make it to nationals. We weren’t ranked high, but Tifa’s team was ranked even lower than ours and we both still made it to the finals.” He took a quick swig of the glass of water to restore his vocal cords. 

“But the night before, I was talking to one of the recruiters and I brought up females in the soccer league. He said that they probably weren’t going to offer to any females unless they single-handedly won a championship and they consistently did it. It put an idea into my head. So I lost the game on purpose and tried to make Tifa look as good as possible for the scouts there. Then all the colleges withdrew their scholarship offers but Tifa was finally getting the respect she deserved. They went on to win nationals, and now she’s here. Called up from the minor league to be the first woman to be in the soccer league. She was a frontrunner for MVP; I even put a bet in Wall Market that she would win. But yeah, that’s about the whole story.”

Frowning and rubbing the sides of her chin until it dawns on her. “Wait where were you after that? Was she mad or what?” 

“Umm… I kind of disappeared.”

“WHAT? Did you ghost her?!” A red flush starts creeping up Aerith’s face while steam starts to boil out of her ears.

“Well kind of. I deleted her number and I was drafted into the army with Zack. I’m sure my mom kept up some contact with her though, but I haven’t been able to see her since I got back and went through night school on top of this job.”

“Oh man, you should do that soon. Maybe I can come over and she can make those noodles that she sent us.” Zack’s mouth starts to drool at the thought of stir-fried beef lo mein on a plate in front of him and his hand drifts to his phone. Opening up MogsEat, he adds a dish of lo mein and heads to checkout until Aerith slaps the phone out of his hand. 

“We still have leftover pizza. Go eat that. Anyway, Cloud you need to make it up to her at the very least. That was a big no-no. If you need help, you knoooow I am friends with her; we kind of are next-door neighbors.” 

Cloud’s back instantly becomes as stiff as a wooden plank.  _ Are you kidding me? At this rate, I’ll figure out her entire neighborhood. _

“No, I’m fine. If I’m going to get her back, I wanna do it of my own accord.”

“Oh, chivalry isn’t dead! Zack, why aren’t you more like Cloud?”

“What, a blushing virgin?” As Aerith and Zack roll around on the couch in tears, Cloud grabs the remote on the side table and plays the next episode. 

Slumping down in his seat, he thought “ _ This is going to be a long night.” _

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

The next morning, Cloud’s driving Aerith in the sidecar he had made for this occasion. Taking her to her apartment as Zack was still hungover from a few beers that he had during the show. The two-story building looks like it’s seen better days but still maintains an aura of homeliness. The building’s walls seem to be made out of plaster and wood and the windows look to be prison bars rather than a window frame. Still, the place was popular for people who need a cheap place to stay and the landlady is a nice enough woman, albeit strict. 

Pulling into the lot, he knocks the kickstand into place as the motorcycle slows to a crawl. He sighs to himself as the aforementioned bushy-haired elderly woman begins to wave to them. His tough-guy outfit of a leather jacket and jeans can’t hide his embarrassment from his face as she starts to open her mouth.

“That wasn’t the girl I was talking about, but she can still work for you.”

“Oh, Marle! You know Cloud then. He’s not my boyfriend though.” 

“Doesn’t bringing a girl back to their apartment in the morning look a little suspicious? At least this means you might listen to my advice and ask out Tifa.”

“Wait, you want Tifa and Cloud together too?”

Watching the two start to conversate intently, Cloud slowly starts to back up to his motorcycle, leaving them to their own devices. As the motorcycle cruises through the city; the metallic skyscrapers turn into blurs as he turns onto the highway ramp. The open feel of the road as he rides is something he’ll never get over. It was his third love and he almost pursued a career in it if prior events hadn’t restricted him. It allows him to feel free from everything and everyone. No obligations, nothing holding him down, no regrets. And Lord knows he has a lot of regrets. 

A beam of sunlight shines through the clouds and into Cloud’s mind. With a sudden, brilliant thought, he peels off to his garage and rummages through it to find something that he had forgotten about. Something that still hurts to think about. But on his first free day in forever, maybe that can change. Strapping the case to his back, he makes his way to a certain cliff park that he knows, but never has had the chance to go. 

Entering the park, a slight breeze rustles the leaves making them fall to the solid ground one by one. The air was warm, the beams of sunlight glowing off of his skin. Flowers were vast, concealing the freshly cut green grass. The pathway is nothing more than dirt littered with random rocks. Children are playing various games and the parents are talking with each other. A giant cliff looms over the entire park. Hikers and joggers getting their daily exercise, rock climbers attempting to scale the steeper sides, families having picnics. As well as elderly folk sitting on the benches near the lake feeding the ducks, while the leisurely fishermen sitting alongside the lake attempting to catch one of the many scaly creatures residing within the small body of water.

Cloud made his way up the pathway; focusing each step at a time, counting the different small rocks and admiring the foliage of the forest even as he climbed higher and higher. As he reaches the pinnacle of the cliff, seeing the canvas of orange, gold, and yellow among the blue sky and white clouds, as well as the greens and foliage of the trees being surrounded by the roofs of the houses and buildings of the suburban area. The calmness of the world around soothing his soul. Finally feeling the serene and tranquil state of being that has alluded his busy and troubled life for so long.

Finding a large smooth boulder to sit on, he plops down on it, taking off the case on his back. Opening it up and taking out the instrument that he hasn’t touched in almost half a decade. The strings on the wood bring back memories of a faraway life that he’s not sure he ever had in the first place. The stick with the taut strings representing how stressful his life is. Starting to play the first notes that came to mind, he let the music flow out of him along with all the stress and negativity.

_ Do Re Mi Ti La Do Re Mi So Fa Do Re Do _

A quiet sniffle from behind him abruptly ends the song as he looks around in confusion before his eyes fall onto ruby ones. Crutches hold Tifa’s body weight up, but the tears fall down her face. Cloud isn’t focusing on that right now as he sets down the violin on the grey rock and strides over to her. She starts to hobble over but the left crutch hits a rock, making her stumble. Cloud barely manages to get a hand to her, stopping her from falling over. Half escorting her, half carrying her, he sweeps the violin onto the ground, giving her a seat to sit on. 

“How the hell did you even get up here?”

“I like to come here on days off to relax, but today I just wanted to see if I could exercise a little bit. Besides the path is wide so there’s no real danger.”

“No real danger, my ass. You could’ve stumbled and fell or got caught or something. You’re hurt, you should be in the hospital resting.”

“I just got discharged and I got a taxi to drop me off here. You aren’t my dad, stop worrying about me. But that song… You made that for me way back when, if I remember correctly. You played it on the makeshift violin you made from your bed frame. Then I played it on my piano...”

_ So she still remembers it even now.  _

“Yeah, it is your theme I guess. I gotta go now. See you at the rehab meeting.” Grabbing his stuff, he turns to leave but Tifa’s hand grabs his wrist. Tight. Like a vice. 

“Please don’t leave yet, can you play more?”

Sighing to himself and nodding, she lets his hand go. Readying the bow along the strings of the violin, a memory flashes back to him. The only audience he’s ever had was his mom and Tifa. Her sitting on his bed, listening to him play for hours on end. Letting him confess his feelings through music, even if she didn’t understand. The pain of his mistakes poking at his heart and deciding his song for him. 

The song he chose was Adagio In G Minor since it’s the one he’s almost memorized from the years he was alone. The sad and melancholy notes struck deep into his heart listening to his mom playing it on the piano. The music brings up even more memories, the multiple fights he was in, his mom being disappointed in him, losing a soccer game. Then the music hits even deeper notes and even deeper memories. His sick dog being put down, the war memories, his dad dying on the bed, not being able to see Tifa again. It brings tears to his eyes but he plays through it, not knowing if Tifa knew what this song is. As he finishes the composition, his eyes clear enough to see the watery gaze of her eyes, and that gives him the burst of energy to keep playing even more. 

Song after song, classical to pop to Green Day. He plays and plays until for some reason there’s a white glow on his violin. Looking up to see the night sky and realising that the park’s closed or about to close. Hitting himself for being too engrossed in the melodies, he looks over at Tifa and sees her lying down on the rock, chest moving slowly in and out. Shrugging to no one but himself, he puts away the instrument and slinging the case onto his back, he picks up Tifa and thanking the lord almighty for foldable crutches, starts to walk down the path.

The moonlight shining through the breaks in the leaves, illuminating the path in front of him like it was painted there for him. The moment was almost too perfect for him that it felt criminal to even have this. This is something that happens in movies, not for a person in their twenties. By some miracle, he makes it down the cliff without waking Tifa up. Sending up a prayer of thanks to Shiva for his foresight in being too lazy to detach his sidecar after taking Aerith home. Placing her as gently as possible in the tiny carriage, he lifts his seat to get the detachable muffler he keeps for occasions like this. Draping his leather jacket on her, he inserts the key and starts to pull out of the parking lot onto the highway. Trying to keep the ride as smoothly as he can. He wondered if he should have bought a lottery ticket today with how his luck is going especially with the almost barren roads around him. The cerulean starry night bringing back an evocation of the past. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_ Trying to slick back his hair and patting down the grey cargo shorts he had on, just like he was trying to pat down his heart from racing too hard. He was only 11 for Shiva’s sake. Why did he do this? What was going through his mind when he asked her to come to the water tower? They had just been called in for dinner but he didn’t want her to leave so soon.  _

_ “I’ll see you tomorrow. Right, Cloud?” _

_ Those words made his heart race almost as it is right now. Mumbling half to himself, half out loud, “Do you want to meet at the water tower tonight?”  _

_ Turning beet red, she turns and runs into her house while Cloud’s outstretched hand attempting to reach her but failing. Hitting himself in the forehead for being a screw up almost exactly like he’s doing right now. Everyone knows that if you ask someone to the tower it was to ask them on a date. It was ingrained almost at birth; even the teachers made reference to it. When the nurse had to teach the chocobos and the cactuars, they always brought them to the wooden water tank.  _

_ Why’d he have to screw it up? She won’t even come and he’s lost his only friend and she’ll hate him and it’ll be awkw~~ _ __  
  


_ “Cloud?” as a familiar voice peeks out from the other side of the scaffolding. _

_ “Tifa?” Her midnight black hair cascading off of the azure blue dress. Almost fainting as he realizes she dressed up for him. Was that makeup? Looking down, his current attire feeling inadequate compared to hers. Maybe cargo shorts and a white t-shirt weren't the best of choices.  _

_ Taking a seat next to him, swinging her feet around, “Why did you want me to come up here?” _

_ A pent-up breath escapes him, “I think you know why.” Grabbing the ruby rose he had next to him and handing her it. “Tifa, do you wanna go out?” _

_ “Cloud, that’s the most cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen.” _

_ “Sorry, it’s my first time doing this. I don’t know how it’s supposed to go.” _

_ Accepting the flower, “It’s fine, yeah I’ll be your girlfriend,” sealing the deal with a big hug.  _

_ “You know that rose matches your eyes, they’re both so beautiful.”  _

_ “Oh Cloud,” Tifa blushing furiously. “I hope this doesn’t change anything though. I love what we do.”  _

_ “Yeah, I hope nothing changes too. I like playing with you but maybe we could stargaze tonight. The stars look beautiful tonight.”  _

_ They both scoot back to lie on the wood platform, watching the skies through new eyes. Snuggling with each other, Cloud’s arm now a pillow for Tifa. But his mind was wondering how this day could get any better. That is until her lips grazed his cheeks.  _

_ ~~~~~~~ _

Making his way up the on-ramp, he looks over at a comatose Tifa slumped over in the small but functioning sidecar. Scrunched up in a ball with only her head poking out of the jacket, he shakes his head, trying to get rid of the image out of his head. 

_ Stop that Strife, don’t get your hopes up. Nothing more than friends. No more hurting her.  _

The backroads that he’s used to driving from late nights at work letting him delve into his thoughts. How it felt to play the violin again. In front of the person that heard it so long ago. How life loves to play his twists and turns on people. That piece of wood in the bag had so much of a control on his life so long ago and now it’s starting to creep back in.

Pulling onto Stargazers Boulevard, the blue, neon lights are a sharp contrast to the shining moonlight of the road and the night sky of the highway. But it makes finding Stargazer’s Heights simple as it’s one of the few buildings without a flashing, fluorescent glare blinding his eyes. The parking lot is calm and quiet as all the residents are mostly sleeping or on the verge of it. The only illumination sources are the few lamps on the outside of the doors and the soft orange glow of the bulbs on the roof. Leaving Tifa in her resting state, Cloud knocks on Aerith’s door; the faint glow of her window signaling she’s still awake. The door opens with her in an oversized sweater, drinking a steaming mug of a brown substance. 

“Oh, you’re up late Cloud! What do you need?”

“Can you open the door to Tifa’s apartment? She’s kind of asleep right now.” Aerith’s face tilts upwards at the sound of that and she starts to give him a cocky little smirk.

“Ah, I see Cloud, couldn’t even get back to the apartment to do it.” 

“What do you even mean? I didn’t do any-, ” the door slams shut, offering him no way to refute her claims. Shrugging to no one but himself he makes the roundtrip to get Tifa and bring her back upstairs to Aerith’s. Giving the door a little kick, Aerith opens it once again and nodded to her pullout couch. 

“She’s slept there multiple times, I’m sure she’ll be comfy there.” 

Too tired to question it, he lays her down on the covers. Bidding her farewell, he closes the door as he exits. But as he’s going down the stairs, he’s almost sure that he heard the faint noises of two females giggling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to go the South Korean route where all men have to be in the army for a year to two years. Plus Shiva can be the goddess of love/ice idk what I’m doing anymore guess I’m making a whole ass religion and cyberpunk city rofl plz save me. Also I can’t write T_T  
> Kudos and Comments are appreciated :D
> 
> [Picture of the Cliff](https://twitter.com/DrWafflepuff/status/1342661035199758336)   
>  [Adagio In G Minor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u99f9RAvwu4)


	4. Massaging a Dumbapple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tifa is a goalie. Cloud is a physical therapist. He threw away his future but now the future is the present. He had it all and threw it all awy for her. But will she forgive him or does time not fully heal wounds? On the next episode of Cloud is a dork. Rating Changed!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while huh, hopefully y'all enjoy this idk why anyone reads this.  
> Special thanks to [mayelisa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayelisa/pseuds/mayelisa) and [spaceodementia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceodementia) for making this much better than it should possibly be. Kudos, comments, hell even reading this means a lot.

The matte black leather seat was as comfortable as Cloud could make it, considering the circumstances. It's only been a few days since he went to the park, but that day has overtaken his life. The weekend was full of the sound of music that's suddenly overtaken his whole being. His new favorite thing to do is to practice whenever he can. On more than one occasion, Zack had to yell at Cloud to put down the violin during the football game. The flip side of that was what that day reminded him of. Everywhere he went, her face just showed up. She was living rent-free in his mind, and she didn't even know. Everything seemed to prompt his mind to go to Tifa. Walks into the kitchen, the first thing he sees is Tifa's favorite food. Goes to reach for a book, he somehow grabs Tifa's favorite book. Grabs a movie to watch; it's Tifa's favorite rom-com. Even when he picks up the violin, all he can think about are the memories, playing for her in her bedroom. Reminiscing on the good memories seems to be a recurring thing for him. 

_How life was simpler in those days._

But none of that matters now. He's in the present, and now he can work it out. If only he could get rid of these sweaty palms and butterflies in his stomach every time she's near him. 

Still lost in his thoughts, he's staring off into his monitor but not paying attention to a single thing on the screen. Several noises pass by his ears but don’t penetrate his consciousness until a jarring crash stirs him. Tifa's putting her weight on the door, one of the crutches on the floor. Rushing over, he picks up and hands over the fallen crutch. Muttering a thank you, she hobbles over to one of the small, but modern office leather chairs. Leaning the crutches on the side of her chair, they sit there in awkward silence since this was the first day since that fated day on the cliff. Looking up at the clock above the door frame and cross-checking it with his calendar, she's about 10 minutes early for her appointment. 

"So, why are you here so early?" Cloud trying to cut through the thick tension that's sitting between them. 

"I just wanted to get this done early, so we can start."

"But Tifa, we can't start until tomorrow. Today is just about talking about what you're going to go through and some stuff to get you informed." 

Tifa blushes slightly. "Sorry about that. Guess I've never been in this situation before." 

Giving her a comforting smile and sitting up straight in his seat, "It's all good. A lot of people who have first-time injuries usually don't know what to expect. That's what today's for; we're going to walk through what the timeline is and exercises and all that jazz. I have a booklet you can look through if you want a written form of it. Are you following so far?" 

Taking her silence as a yes, he swivels around his screen to show a powerpoint. "So we'll take everything a few weeks at a time. So obviously, as I'm sure Dr. Gast has told you, you'll have the brace and crutches for the foreseeable future. The things you need to know for home use is that you have to keep your knee elevated and straight but make sure you don't kick your knee out straight when you go from lying to sitting and things like that. Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, how long will this take?"

"Should be 3-5 months, but you have to make sure you're completely honest with me when it comes to pain and if you can't do an exercise when I'm with you." 

Her face curls into a grimace as she sags back into her cushion. Her eyes are downcast and dispirited as he swivels his monitor back. 

Sensing the reason for why she's so despondent, "Sorry, your season's most likely over. The most we can do now is to get you ready for next year. For now, our goal should be getting your mobility back," his tone apologetic.

Her head tilts up, her jawline set while her fists are clenched in her lap. "Is there anything I can do today?" The angry tone catches Cloud by surprise as he rolls through the ideas in his brain. 

Landing on one of them, "In terms of exercises, not that much as you're still recovering from surgery. But..."

"What? Spit it out already." She was getting irate by the second, on the tip of wanting to throttle him. He could've sworn there was a pulsing vein on her temple. 

"I mean, I could give you a massage, if you would want that? We usually don’t do full- body massages, but I think it would help you if we do the deep tissue massage around your knee. " 

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. How would we do this?"

"I have a bathroom on the right, and the massage room is directly across the hallway. I'll meet you over there."

~~~~~~

It's been 30 minutes since he left her in his office's bathroom. His mind wanders to what could be taking her so long. His arms are crossed as his foot impatiently taps on the floor. His frustration mounts, making him get up to go check up on her. Giving a rap on the wooden door; a muted clank comes through the door, instead of the voice he was expecting. Ice cold anxiety runs through his veins as his mind goes over the possibilities in that split second. But only one keeps coming back. 

_Tifa's hurt._

Taking a few steps back, his mind going back to the football game he watched a few days ago. How physical and beefy they were. Dropping his center of gravity for a better impact. Lowering his shoulder-point to hit that weak point. Gaining momentum by the moment, feeling like one of the players he saw just a few days ago on the television. The latches on the wood come loose. The door bursts open, shocking Cloud and Tifa at what's in front of them. 

His teal eyes widening at the sight in front of him. The black-haired beauty sitting on the floor in front of him. Body wrapped in just a towel while her crutches are on the ground. Her ruby eyes look up in shock; her cheeks are suddenly kissed red like a rose, the blooming color so cute against her porcelain skin. But all of that was washed away as she squeals, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" 

She tugs the towel upwards and gives him a death glare while he looks to the office door, craning his neck to see if anyone has heard. 

Turning back to his bathroom, looking up at the gorgeous design of the solid yellow color towel on the rack. Not the white one on the floor below.

"I thought you were hurt or something. Wait, are you? Do you need help? I'm sorry. I'll just back out now. Aghh." He manages to stammer out. 

A giggle escapes as she puts her hands on her mouth, her cheeks regaining that red hue it had a few moments ago. Regaining her scowl, Tifa raises her hand to the sink, trying to get up off the floor. 

"Do you want help?" Cloud bent down to get in a squat, his hands resting on his knees as he came to eye level with her. Offering his hand to her, "It'll be faster." He could feel the heat radiating off of her, whether it be from anger, embarrassment, or a bit of both.

But it was the straw that broke the camel's back; giving him a scowl but accepting his hand. However, Cloud's patience has been worn out from the wait she's put him through. Grabbing her under the thigh and on the towel, he carried her bridal style through his office and to the massage room. Tifa being too shocked to open her eyes or even indignant. Just nestling into Cloud's soft t-shirt, hoping those broad shoulders aren't just for show. A faint smell of lavender and eucalyptus wafts towards her nose. Finally opening her eyes, the room only illuminated by the dim flame of candles that he lit during her time in the bathroom. Cloud stooging over to the speaker and putting on his massage playlist. Much to his dismay, the first song that comes on as he returns is _'I Wanna Be Yours'_ by the Arctic Monkeys, and his mortification as the track plays rises by the second. 

"Sorry about that. This is the first time I've ever massaged a female. It's usually been the other players. I didn't know what to expect so I put up some candles and turned off the lights. I can change the so-." 

"No, it's good. Can you lock the door?"

Striding over to the door and hearing the lock click, he takes a deep breath and turns around. As she's tugging down the towel. The scene in front of him feeling so sensual as it slides down her body. Giving thanks to whatever told him that wearing baggy sweatpants was a good idea today. But also praying that it was loose enough that she couldn't see the mini-Cloud poking out of the cotton. As he dawdles to the table, he can't help but stare at the half-naked beauty on the table. Her eyes didn't appear to be open, but who could tell in the extremely-limited light that he had in the room. But it didn't stop him from admiring the lithe, athletic form of Tifa. The training she went through gave her small, yet defined biceps and forearms that made Cloud wonder how strong she could really be. Her back muscles had not one inch of fat anywhere that he could see. His eyes roaming down, seeing the plump and full buttocks that he could tell still was toned and muscular as the rest of her body under the towel. Her thunderous thighs that look like they could crush a chocobo carriage or maybe even his head. 

_What a glorious death that would be._

As she’s lying on her stomach, he’s standing by her side, his hands touching her bare skin, sending sparks down his spine at the feeling. The last time he had any physical contact like this was with her. No dates, only work to distract him from the open hole in his heart when Tifa was gone from him. His fingers roamed her body, scouting any potential kinks or tension in her tissues. And there seem to be a lot of those. Her entire body full of stress that Cloud felt conflicted about. He's glad that he could help her fix these issues, but also, what could be making her so stressed in the first place? Driving those thoughts from his mind, he's only here to give a massage, not think about issues that he lost the right to worry about a long time ago. The only thing on his mind should be how to relieve the stress on her body. With that in mind, he takes a position near her back. 

He grabs a bottle of massage oil from the side table, rubbing the liquid in his palms. Massaging her back with long, fluid, hard strokes, the vanilla and lavender extract spreading across her muscles, warming them up. Her tissue becomes looser and looser the more he touches her soft, ivory back. After being satisfied that she's ready, he slowly kneads her muscles using his fingers and the base of his hands. His skilled hands traverse the hills of her shoulder blades to the valley of her lower back, his technique releasing the stress and tension that's been built up in her over the years. Prudently avoiding the spine, he rolls his knuckles up and down the sides of her vertebrae in a loose fist, making sure no stone is left unturned. He burns his elbow into her back, hitting every pleasure point that he's found, turning her into a pleasured mess of sighs and noises. 

By the time he finishes with her back and moves to her shoulders and neck, the song shuffles to _Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major_ by Mozart. Which, by some stroke of luck, is the perfect tune to time the petrissage. Moving one hand up her neck, squeezing and releasing the flesh as he goes. An image of him grasping her neck while she rides him with a finger in her mouth rolls through his mind. The pooling heat down under drives him absolutely insane, clouding his mind by the second with impure thoughts of the woman in front of him. Her head turns to get into a more comfortable position. Her face is dangerously close to a certain part of his body. Silently pleading that she doesn't open her eyes, as well as trying to will his ardor to cool down. His fingers move to the sides of her neck, circling it into submission. His hands move to the shoulders, rubbing them back and forth, loosening them up as they slowly sink into jello as noises escape the back of her throat.

The song changes to _Blinding Lights_ , prompting him to move to her lower body. Grabbing her foot, he can't help but see how fucking gorgeous even her feet were. Compared to all the other gross, disgusting, smelly feet the other players' had, hers had no imperfections whatsoever. Which practically described every inch of this flawless goddess. 

_I'm blinded by the light._ As Cloud sings along in his head, he has to agree how blinded he is by the light that is Tifa. How can one girl be so beautiful and talented? He gently pulls each toe while rubbing the balls of her plantar with his thumbs. A little giggle slips out of her, Cloud discovering the fact she's ticklish. His fingers move down to her heel, the strain melting away from her feet. Cloud rolls his knuckles up and down the arches of feet, hitting each and every pleasure nerve in her arches as much as he can. Her calves are sent to heaven as his hand squeezes and massages them to kingdom come. He kneads her pillowy thighs like it's dough, imagining them smothering his face. The soft flesh is almost like putty in his hands, dissipating the tension in her loins, all the while trying to be mindful of her knee. Her eyelids are shut as she softly snores.

He rubs the palm of her hand while pulling on each of the fingers, just like how Madam M taught him way back when. He squeezes the base of her fingers and circles his fingers around each finger. He rubs his knuckle into the middle of her palm. A short moan escapes from her mouth as he hits a sensitive spot on her palm. Flustered is an understatement for the both of them. Her eyes immediately snap awake, her pupils widening. The blood starts rushing to her head, turning it crimson. His heart instantly jumps to the top of his throat and gets caught there. He steps away from the table while she shifts upwards, giving Cloud a good eyeful of barely covered breasts as well as giving him a nosebleed. Running back to the bathroom for him to gather her clothes, he hands over the garments and turns to the corner of the door like he's in timeout to give her some privacy. She puts on her clothes and the brace frantically, only hindered by the movement of her knee. He opens the door for her as she hobbles out on her crutches. 

"Do you need help gettin-"

"No."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow. Don't do anything rash." He instantly cringes and winces inside at how stupid he sounds. 

_Blue Moon_ by Sinatra starts playing, ending probably the single most awkward moment of his life. Blowing out the candles and opening up the curtains, his hands still slightly trembling from what just happened. 

_Well, that happens once in a blue moon._

~~~~~~~~~~

The crimson is still evident on her face even after a couple minutes. She's sitting on the chair outside the nurse's office, waiting to be admitted. But this gives her time to ponder on what transpired. Her face burning in shame over what she did as she laid on top of the massage table.

_How did I even moan? Has it been that long? How was he so good at that? Where did he even learn that from?_

"Tifa?" The door swings open to reveal the flowery doctor herself, Aerith. "I thought you still had a meeting with Cloud?" 

"It ended early, there wasn't much to talk about." 

"What! Did you not do anything after? Did he make me get 15 candles for no reason?"

"That was you? I thought it was weird that he picked out those scents."

"Oh, so he did give you a massage then!” Her hands clapping together as she’s giggling. “He gave me a list of candles to buy since he was busy; that was all him." Giving her a cheeky grin, "How was it? I heard he learned from the number one masseuse in Midgar. Come on, tell me!" The last letter stretching out to what seems like forever as she gives Tifa the puppy-eyes.

"Fine, but can I come in first?"

Aerith steps out of the doorway to let Tifa through. Limping to the low hospital bed and climbing on it while Aerith pulls up a chair, making the scene feel less like a friendly chat between two friends and more of a therapy session. 

"Make sure you don't leave any details out. I want to know everything, especially since he just dropped you off sleeping a few nights ago," said Aerith, giving Tifa a wink which she just had to giggle at. 

"Well, we just had a meeting about what I should expect. He gave me a packet that I should probably get but, I really don't want to go back right now."

Waving her hand, "I'll get it for you before we go home. Just get to the juicy parts."

"Fine, he offered a massage, and I took it since I've been so stiff and tense for as long as I can remember. Then, I guess I took too long changing, and then I dropped something, so he thought I was hurt. Which makes him break down the door and I'm just sitting there in a towel."

An audible gasp comes from the doorway. 

"WHAT? Who the hell did that?" says a feminine voice from the door. Running into the room, giving Aerith the biggest hug like they haven't seen each other in forever even though they meet like this every week.

"Jessie! And is that Yuffie too?" Yuffie walks in right behind Jessie. 

"Yeah, I actually got off of practice today for the first time in forever. The coach is such a jackass," the raven-haired gymnast replies.

"You guys look good. Where did you get the clothes?"

"We got Yuffie's skirt and both our crop-tops from the store in Wall Market. Then, these leggings off of Mogster at half off. But never mind that, who walked in on you, Tif? I'll cut their balls off," Jessie pulling out a swiss army knife to prove her point. 

Laughing it off, Tifa waves at Jessie to put the knife away. "It's fine. He thought I was hurt and smashed his door into pieces in the process." 

Yuffie leaned on the counter, propping her head up against her hands. "Guess chivalry isn't dead. He sounds like a keeper right now."

"Then, he carried me to the massage bed, and the room was filled with these candles, and the curtains were closed." 

"Oh, that sounds so hot Tif. I'm surprised you weren't immediately wet, " Jessie says unabashedly.

"Jess! I have to see him almost every day for almost 6 months. I can't do that..." Tifa having the weight of the words hit directly in her heart. Slumping into the bed and covering her face with her hands, "Why did I do that? Why did I do that?" She repeatedly mumbles under her breath. 

"Do what?" Aerith questioned the reddening Tifa, leaning in to hear her answer. 

"Well, it was wonderful. I didn't really know how much tension I had in my body until now. But it was a little bit _too_ wonderful. I kind of moaned at the end of it."

Silence fills the room slowly. Until a grinning Yuffie bursts out in laughter causing the other two females to start howling in hysterics. 

"Damn girl, you must be one horny bitch," she chokes out between breaths before leaning on Aerith's chair. "You haven't been laid in a while, have you? Ya know, I can hook you up if you really need help, though you shouldn't cause you're beautiful if you haven't noticed yet." 

"Jessie, I'm fine. I really don't need that right now." 

Yuffie sitting up in her seat, "Hey, I'll take you up on that if Tifa won't."

Everyone gives her the weird eye, and Jessie says what is all on their minds. "Aren't you dating Reno?" 

"Not really, both of our schedules are too busy to have a real relationship. All we really do is hookup, so I wouldn't say no to another guy," wiggling her eyebrows at each of them. This ignites a conversation between Aerith, Jessie, and Yuffie about guys, the benefits of a relationship, and sex.

Rubbing her forehead at the craziness of their raunchy chat, Tifa can't help but take the time to reflect on her sex life or rather, the lack of one. She's only dated one person before since she's been too busy and heartbroken to even attempt another one. But even still being a virgin, she's still managed to climax. He was talented from his fingers even back then...

~~~~~

_Music filled the air without effort, like the waves filling holes in beach sand. The sound rushed in and around the two people in the room. It spoke to them in the same manner. The slow tempo going through an accelerando by the second. The strings of the violin ran through the open bedroom, the tune became faster and faster by the second. The keys of the piano sang notes as beautiful as the person playing it. Mozart's Violin Sonata K 304 is one of the more difficult pieces to play, but it is one of the few violin and piano duets in the world. The ballad flowed through the open window, serenading the flowers in the garden below as well as the few stay-at-home moms who weren't at the fair. The summer's easterly wind of the afternoon breezed throughout the town. The melody came to an end with the last few notes of the piano fading out. Tifa took a sip out of the glass while Cloud laid down the bow and violin on the bed._

_"Cloud, that was amazing! We finally did it!" The black-haired beauty hugs Cloud so hard they both fall back on the bed._

_"Yeah, it took us a while, didn't it. Sorry for messing up a whole bunch earlier."_

_"Shut up, Cloud. I messed up too. You can't put all the blame on yourself. All that matters is that we got it now."_

_"How did I ever get to be so lucky to be with you?"_

_"I don't know. Maybe I should find someone else," she teases, giving Cloud a playful poke on the nose. "Psyche, you know you're the only one for me."_

_"You know you could've had anyone in this town. Why me?"_

_"Cloud, we've had this conversation so many times. You know why. There are so many reasons why I'm with you. You know you could have had swarms of girls swoon over you if you weren't so cold to everyone and their mother."_

_His heart filled in that moment. He rubbed his hand across her thigh, sliding up the skirt she's wearing. She blushed at the close contact as she opened her mouth to chastise him, but gave Cloud the perfect opportunity to put his lips on hers. It still wasn’t clear if she dreamed this moment to life, but there was raw emotion in the way his fingers curled around hers. Cloud kept his eyes half-open, sneaking guilty peeks at her every time he came back for air, just to make sure this wasn’t a product of his imagination._

_He slid her panties to the side, as he looked up into her lust-filled ruby eyes, asking for permission. A simple nod did the trick, and a few seconds later, her head was in the clouds from Cloud's fingers. His digits turned her insides to mush. A pool of heat built up in her core, which threatened to burn her to the ground. The wet slush of him took her to new heights, about to let her go into the great beyond. Her hands gripped the sheets as tight as possible. On the precipice of letting him know what he was doing to her, but trying to hold back her release so she can try to enjoy this a little bit longer. Until he pulls his fingers out. She grabbed his wrist, practically begging him to take her over the edge, she wanted her release. She needed this release. He closed the blinds, allowing some privacy from the outside world. He placed kisses up her inner thighs, working his way inwards. It sent her into overdrive as he licked her folds, quickly returning her back to the place she was a few minutes ago. Her hands reached down to the blonde locks of the man in front of her, pushed his head down, trying to will the pleasure to increase ever more slightly to get her past her limit._

_Tifa's world exploded in a blaze of glory. She's sent toward the atmosphere. Her head lolled back as her eyes closed, trying to ride out the waves of pleasure that are going through her entire body right now. The bones completely fell out of their sockets and flowed right down the drain._

_The fruits of his labor were displayed on his face and the sounds of Tifa's moans and panting even better than the music they had just finished making. Her hands trapped his head in between her thighs, almost suffocating him in what would be the best way to die. Her breathing evened out, but her hands still confined him to his glorious prison until she pulled away. He trails kisses up her body, letting her know his love for her in a way other than words._

_Her whole body tingled, the feel of his frame leaned on hers. He pulled her in, claiming her mouth again, hungry and intense, until her knees gave in. By the time Tifa became aware of her fingers, they had already slipped under his shirt, his skin smooth and radiating heat hotter than the sun. The steamy embrace freeing all the stress the two of them had and replacing it with passionate love. He climbs on top of her, both of them ready and impatient to get it started. He readies himself to enter her, his manhood teasing hers as he rubs it up and down the clit._

_"Tifa, are you home?" The voice froze both of them in place for a few seconds before Cloud realizes the position he's in. He threw on his shirt and slid on his sweats just before a knock came from the door._

_"Are you in here Tifa?"_

_"Yeah, Dad. I didn't hear you. You're home early." Cloud placed a kiss on her cheek before he leapt out of the second-story window like he’s Peter Pan._

_"Do you mind if I come in, Tifa?"_

_"Sure, just let me unlock the door." She tried to make herself look as presentable as possible before letting her father see her. The door cracked open a tiny bit as she peeked out into the hallway. Her father stood there, leaning against the wall, and was rhythmically tapping his feet to some imaginary beat with a scowl on his face. He walked into the bedroom and sat down on the piano bench; a displeased aura surrounded his presence._

_“What were you doing up here? I heard weird noises and screams from the window.”_

_“Oh, a spider really spooked me and I knocked some stuff over. It’s no big deal. Why are you home so early anyway? Don’t you have to be at the fair?”_

_“Yes, I need to be right back there. But I also have to have you there for the public. Especially if I want to run for mayor. It’ll be good for public perception.”_

_“But Dad, I have homework and I need to practice for the concert tomorrow, as well as talk to my coach about the game on Saturday.” Her excuses rolled off the tongue easily, not wanting to go to the crowded streets and having to put a facade for the town._

_“Hush Tifa, you should’ve done that earlier. I need to be back there now. The clothes you have on now are beautiful enough. Now let’s go.” His voice brokered no argument, as she grudgingly followed him out of the house._

_“Wait, let me bring Cloud.” Tifa ran across the street to knock on the Strife’s door._

_“Damn, you missed me that quickly?” a shit-eating grin plastered on his face which led to a playful slap on his bicep._

_“My dad’s making me go to the fair. Keep me company?”_

_He gave her his elbow to put her hand through and they made their way to the running car. Cloud climbed into the back seat as Tifa rode shotgun; they traveled to the fairground’s parking lot. He kept casual conversation with both Lockharts’ but he couldn’t help but notice the evil eye in the rearview mirror from Señor Lockhart. His voice became deeper and deeper as the car chugged on through the crowds. The atmosphere was becoming tenser by the second and Cloud had no idea why. He’s had a tenable relationship with him for the last few years while he was dating Tifa. He tried to wave off the thoughts entering his brain as the sedan pulled into a parking lot._

_They walked across the train tracks, taking in the afternoon summer breeze. The cool temperature made Tifa shiver and Cloud draped his wool jacket on her shoulders. Even with the temperature dropping slowly, he was being heated up just by being near Tifa as well as the searing stare on the back of his head from what he could assume was Mr. Lockhart._

_They rounded up on top of the hill and Brian pushed past towards the two turning to say “Tifa, make sure you’re near the stage at 8. Just find Mom.” And with that, he walked through the pedestrian-filled streets, shaking hands with any prominent figure he could find._

_Shocked expressions and glares filled the air for a while as his figure became smaller in the distance. Cloud and Tifa interlocked their fingers just as they swiped a quick look at each other, gaining strength to continue on. They hiked down the sidewalk of the hill, taking in the green trees with the live music filling the air._

_“I can't see the stars no more — but they still fall_

_In the plate's reflection, that night summer sky from our youth_

_You and me girl — watching and wishing.”_

_The lyrics echoed off the red-brick buildings and through Cloud’s head. It’s more of a genre that Tifa listens to but it’s one of those songs that he can’t avoid. Whether it be on the radio or in the hallways at school, it’s always filling the airwaves. He’d usually be annoyed at one of these annoying, overplayed, repetitive tracks, but this one was actually music to his ears. It reminded him of himself and Tifa, the nights they used to stare at each other and at the stars. Wishing. Wanting better for each other. The start of their relationship started like this and if he wasn’t in public, he definitely would’ve teared up, just a little. But Tifa didn’t mind. She was already teared up and he knew exactly about what. The grip on his hand tightened fractionally and he swore he was about to lose circulation in that area. She wiped the tears away with the sleeve of his jacket, and that at that moment swore that he would never wash it again._

_They made their way to the various food carriages parked alongside the road. Cars and chocobos with their harnesses still on littered the sides of the roads while many of their fellow townsfolk were walking along the sidewalks, eating many of the confectionaries they were offering. Others were sitting in chairs near the stage area, listening to the band play. Kids roamed around in groups, going on the little pop-up rides, playing the carnival games, or just petting the fluffy chocobos. It was a lively atmosphere for the town of Nibleheim, one that usually didn’t show up in the quiet, quaint, backwater region. But today was the Banora Apple Festival, also known as just a day to relax and celebrate from their ordinary lives. The lore behind the festival was almost forgotten, only known to the elderly that would tell the story to anyone who’ll listen for more than a few seconds._

_They made their way through the crowd and to a food cart. Where Cloud bought a kebab of Korean BBQ for both of them to munch on as they had walked through the crowded streets. A group of girls called over Tifa to come and mingle with them and their boyfriends. They went over and almost immediately the girls surrounded themselves. They spoke in whispered tones and the occasional giggle came out of the huddle as they conversated. It also left all the boyfriends of the girls to stand awkwardly around each other. A few of the guys started to small talk with each other, trying to find some entertainment in the midst of the unpleasantness. But even through the gaps of the swarm of girls, she could see Cloud standing there. Alone. Estranged. Sullen. It reminded her how lonely he was without her. He would sit by himself at lunch or walk alone through the hallways if she wasn’t with him. An outsider immediately marked as soon as he stepped foot inside the tight-knit community. She excused herself from the group and made her way back to him._

_“Hey, hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”_

_“It’s fine, you could’ve spent more time talking to them. You don’t need to spend every minute with me.”_

_She pouted at that statement, as she snuggled closer to his body. ““But, I want to. You know you could try to make some friends here. I swear they aren’t as bad as you think. You’ve been here almost 9 years now.”_

_“I do have a few friends. They just don’t really like to go out in these types of environments. Hell, I don’t want to be out here. But as long as I’m here with you though…”_

_She instantly turned beet red and stammered out a few syllables before Cloud planted a kiss on her cheek. “I don’t want to be here either. But as long as we’re each other, it’ll be fine.” Their hands squeezed together as the crowds parted for them._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idek anymore. i've been thinking bout leaving the fandom for a while and maybe i will who knows. i just know if i do it'll prob be permanent and ill prob take down all my stuffs but idk. ive been on the tipping point for a while now and sometimes just being here hurts not by anyone ive interacted with, but by myself. almost everyone ive interacted with in this fandom has been so good from the clotis to multishippers hell even some of the cleriths ive seen are nice. idk if shits been intentional idk if people are gonna be happy if im gone idk if people are gonna notice on this random ass small fic but eh. anyway ty for coming to my rant if this story gets deleted itll prob mean ive made my decision


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